?I?m looking for volunteers to travel to Africa and help me build some houses for the needy.?

When David Thompson from Christ Church of Scotland in Warwick put this appeal out to members of the public, he never dreamed he would get the response he did.

28 volunteers from all sectors of the community replied, ranging in age from a 12-year-old boy to an 82-year-old woman. Many of them weren?t even from the Christ Church.

Not only were the volunteers willing to travel to Botswana for the Habitat for Humanity mission, they were also prepared to do just about anything to raise the money needed for the venture.

Mr. Thompson said his boss, Debbie Billing, decided to participate in the fundraising drive by having her head shaved.

Since making this ?bald? move, she?s been joined by organiser Vicki Johnston and ten others and the project has been renamed ?Bald for Botswana?.

14 of the volunteers going on the trip are students who will spend two weeks in a village on the outskirts of Gabarone, the capital of Botswana, building the 450-square-foot houses.

But the group needs help to raise funds, especially for the students who come from homes across the Island.

?Not necessarily affluent homes either and for many of these youngsters this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,? Mr. Thompson said.

A total of $98,000 is needed before the group can leave on July 28. They will return to Bermuda on August 15.

Mr. Thompson said each volunteer will need about $3,000 to pay for their flight and accommodation, while the houses will cost about $14,000 in total to build. He said after spending all day working with concrete and bricks, the group deserved to stay somewhere with a bath, but added that they would find the cheapest accommodation in order to have more money for the actual building materials.

?The people of Botswana live in basic houses ? just bricks and concrete with corrugated iron roofs,? he added.

From past experiences, volunteers have built two houses in two weeks, but he said, with a group this size, anything was possible.

Last year a group of volunteers travelled to Bolivia to build homes for the needy, an experience, which Mr. Thompson said changed lives, not just for those receiving their new houses, but also for those taking part in the venture.

?The programme has brought people from all walks of life together and many return with new friendships and strong bonds,? he said.

Bolivia was chosen last year because, like Botswana, it represents a country with incredible need. Even by South American standards Bolivia is poor, with more than 70 percent of its population living below the poverty line. The same can be said for Botswana. The group of volunteers will meet up with the charity, Homes for Humanity in Gabarone, which organised the home-building mission.

The sponsored head shaving will take place on May 28 while a fundraising fair will be held at the Christ Church in Warwick on April 30 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Tickets are also still available for the British Pop Party at Docksiders on May 21.